Dinner Through the Decades

Family Sitting Down

Dinner as we know it is a relatively new concept. As work shifted from farms to factories in the 1800s, eating a midday meal to refuel for an afternoon of physical work became less important; thus, the idea of having the main meal at the day’s end was born. It also was a signifier of a truly modern family as it showed your clan’s upward mobility.

So what other shifts and events shaped the meal that for many conjures up images of Norman Rockwell–esque familial bliss? Consider the following key moments, products and recipes that helped shaped the evolution of the family dinner.

1800s

The former colonists prospered and set up house, and appliances (iceboxes, cookstoves), gadgets (apple parers, lemon squeezers) and tin (as opposed to heavy cast iron) made kitchen tasks more manageable. One manual on the art of housekeeping included entries on etiquette, table settings, cooking tough cuts of meats and more.

Early 1900s

Reform-minded home economists rule, finding purpose (and a career path for women) instructing housewives about good nutrition and the importance of measuring ingredients, meal planning and creating a dinner menu. Sauces and dressed salads are showcased.

1940s

World War II and food rationing come to a close, yet manufacturers need to find innovative ways to make use of wartime-staple surpluses. Better technology for freezing, canning and dehydrating are key, resulting in products that promise to free housewives from cooking drudgery.

1950s

The postwar suburban golden age takes off. Keeping house and entertaining are in vogue, while frozen-food technology (which dates to the 1920s) remains important, resulting in an influx of frozen foods—from veggies to full meals—to supermarkets.

1960s

The youthquake erupts, thanks to a handsome president and his glamorous wife, while The Feminine Mystique raises women’s consciousness that there’s more to life than an MRS degree. Fast food (Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Taco Bell) is a dinner treat, while space, the next frontier, inspires food marketers. French cooking (thanks to Julia Child) and “international” entertaining demonstrate culinary sophistication.

1970s

Inflation requires housewives to stretch their food dollars, while Frances Moore Lappé’s Diet for a Small Planet prompts the nation’s natural food movement. Vegetarian is the new culinary religion (The Moosewood Cookbook is its bible), and shopping the health food store gives consumers a taste for buying in bulk. TV cooking shows (hosted by male chefs) trigger the Cajun and international trends.

2000s

With home as a haven from an uncertain world, the new millennium strengthens a comfort food comeback. It’s the decade of extremes as technology produces fortified fare and The Omnivore’s Dilemma exposes a problematic food system. The documentary Super Size Me criticizes fast-food portions, while “home cooking” becomes meal assembly. Obesity rates remain sky-high, and the Slow Food, artisan, organic and farm-to-table movements are alternatives to industrial agriculture.